“West Bengal set to witness a revolution in the health sector very soon”: Dr. Indranil Khan, MLA of West Bengal

Kolkata, May 29, 2026: ASSOCHAM organized the 6th Edition of The HealthMeet and Excellence Awards 2026 themed The Future of Health: Human Centered AI on Friday at Kolkata. The event was attended by key Policymakers, Industry leaders and opinion leaders. During his Address, Chief Guest Dr. Indranil Khan, Hon’ble Member of Legislative Assembly, West Bengal emphasized on how West Bengal is poised to become a strong centre for health-tech entrepreneurship, pharmaceutical innovation, biomedical engineering, and AI-driven healthcare research. He assured that policy support will continue to focus on ethical AI governance, digital literacy, workforce training, and responsible innovation.
Dr. Khan strongly emphasised improving healthcare delivery in the state. He stated that very soon West Bengal will witness a revolution in the health sector. He assured that beneficiaries will be brought under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme and will be issued ABHA cards very soon. “From now onwards in West Bengal, political interests and affiliations will never be prioritised. All focus should be on providing the best treatment to patients in both public and private hospitals”, Dr. Khan added.
Furthermore, during the Welcome Address, Debarshi Duttagupta, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Healthcare Council West Bengal stated that the Industry and Government should work towards a common goal to help healthcare professionals make faster and more accurate decisions, improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare disparities, and bring quality care closer to every citizen through effective use of AI.
In his Keynote Address, Dr. Sombrata Roy, Co Chairman, ASSOCHAM Healthcare Council West Bengal said that West Bengal has historically been a centre of medical education, scientific excellence, public health leadership, and pharmaceutical capability. He further stated that the future of healthcare delivery will increasingly depend on collaboration between government, industry, healthcare institutions, startups, academia, and technology innovators.
Industry perspectives on the theme were shared by Abanis Nayak, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Odisha Startup Council & Founder & Director, ZTOP IOT Solutions Pvt Ltd., Dr. Ajay Swaroop, Chairman – Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr. Rupali Basu, Regional Business Head (East & AP), HCG Cancer Hospitals in their respective addresses.
Avijit Dhar, Executive Director & CTO, Primus Partners highlighted that India’s healthcare transformation will not be driven by technology alone, but by the thoughtful integration of technology into human systems of care. The path forward demands collaboration between government, healthcare institutions, academia, innovators, civil society, and frontline workers.
At the occasion, a Knowledge Report titled “AI in Healthcare – From Instinct to Inference” prepared by ASSOCHAM and Primus Partners was released. The Knowledge Report focuses on the current landscape of AI integration in the Indian healthcare sector and provides a timely and comprehensive study on how AI and digitization are beginning to redefine the healthcare ecosystem in India by making it more accessible, equitable and resilient.